CapeFearConstrict
Wilmington, NC
Male, 32
I've been working with ball pythons for over ten years now. Two years ago I decided to breed them as a business. I run a small operation. Currently I have approximately 100 snakes in my breeding program and hope to produce over 200 babies in the 2013 breeding season. I've always been fascinated by reptiles, snakes in particular, and being able to work with them every day is very satisfying.
A quick Google search shows that there seems to have been one instance of a boa constrictor killing a human. It looks like the owner was handling his large boa without assistance and it strangled him. There is very little real danger when these animals are treated with respect and responsibly handled. In the above case, that man would have been fine had a second person been present or he prevented the snake from wrapping around his neck. Carelessness caused his death. As for eating him, the snake did not and was not large enough to even attempt to.
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I'm not aware of any. Here in the US, most people don't view snakes as food, so there's not a large market for it. I'm not saying it doesn't happen, I just don't know about it.
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Ball pythons are very secretive snakes. They like to hide away from sight, so yes, this is perfectly normal behavior. It might take a few weeks for your snake to get acclimated to its new home.
If your snake is a baby and hasn't eaten very many times, then you'll need to keep an eye on him. If he doesn't eat after a month or so, you may need to take action. Babies are typically very good eaters, so not eating is usually a sign of stress. Make sure the temperatures are good (he will need a cool side at 75-80 degrees and a warm side of 90 degrees) and that he has hides on both sides. I've found that humidity isn't extremely important, but you should try to keep it around 40-50% at the lowest. Also, keep handling to a minimum until he's eating regularly.
Some babies will only take live food, so if you're offering frozen thawed, you may want to offer a live one. Some also only want mice, so if you're offering rats, try a mouse.
If your snake is an older snake, he might have hit what we refer to as the wall. It's not unusual for ball pythons to eat very well until they reach 600-1000g, and then just stop eating for months. I have had many snakes shut down for 4-6 months after hitting this wall, so while it's frustrating, it's nothing to be too concerned about. If your snake starts looking unhealthy, then you might want to contact your vet.
Since I don't have many details about your situation, I cannot offer specific advice. If you'd like, you can contact me through my website (linked above) and I'll be happy to help you further.
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At one point I was breeding rats to feed my snakes with, but I got out of that. It was more work than the snakes and not much fun. As far as what I would like to breed, probably another species of snake, or perhaps even lizard.
The two species of snakes I'd like to get that I don't have any personal experience with yet are green tree pythons and brazilian rainbow boas. As far as lizards go, I love the look and variety of leopard geckos and crested geckos are pretty cool too.
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Yes, there is certainly a market for adults/larger juveniles.
Most people buy babies when they buy a new snake. This is because most breeders don't let go of adults. It takes a lot of time and energy to get an adult to breeding size, particularly females. So it's unusual to find someone selling an adult. When they are available, they are typically more expensive than babies. Buying an adult saves you a lot of time and energy, not to mention the expenses of food and housing for that time.
Most breeders only let go of adult females when they have run out of room. Even a "normal" (the color and pattern found in the wild) female can produce a valuable clutch when paired to a high-valued male, so it doesn't make sense to sell them unless you physically can't keep them.
Males are typically sold more often. This is because males are more easily replaced. Say I have a male with "Mutation X." I breed him to a female that is "Mutation Y." From that breeding I get a male that has both mutations. I could hold onto that male and in a year he's going to be more valuable to me than his dad. So dad gets put up for sale and his son takes over his job for me.
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Beyond the price of the snakes, you have many other expenses to deal with. Some are one-time expenses, such as housing, water bowls, hides, etc. Others are reoccurring expenses, like food, cleaning supplies and substrate. In the end, it's not very expensive to raise a snake. I believe I calculated my overall expenses to be approximately $80-100 per year per snake. That being said, the biggest expense is your time. It takes time to feed, clean and breed the snakes. With nearly 100 snakes in my collection, I spend about 10-14 hours a week in the snake room, taking care of the various tasks required. Dealing with the snakes isn't the only time commitment. I've also spent many hours creating my website. A good website takes a lot of work, and I try to keep mine updated with blog posts on at least a monthly basis. You'll need to answer questions from customers as well. If you want to remain relevant, you also need to make sure you keep up to date on the latest developments in the industry. You'll want to know what the latest hot morph or combo is. You'll always want to be upgrading your collection with new genes, so you'll need to research to be able to predict what will be a hot seller when you're finally able to produce them. It's very possible to get a great return on your investment in the ball python industry, but it's far from easy money. It takes a great deal of work and a passion for the animals. Our industry has seen get rich quick guys come and go. The only people who stick around for long are those who love the animals.
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With reptiles, it's important to find a qualified vet. Not all vets are very knowledgeable when it comes to reptiles. They have basic knowledge, but if you have a major problem, they're going to be of limited help.
I was fortunate to have a good reptile vet in my town. Some reptile owners/breeders have to travel hours to visit a qualified reptile vet.
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